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How many times did Connie Francis marry? Relationships explored as 60s icon Connie Francis passes away

Pretty Little Baby-famed Connie Francis was married four times.
  • Connie Francis (Image via Everett Collection)
    Connie Francis (Image via Everett Collection)

    Pretty Little Baby-famed Connie Francis passed away at the age of 87. The news of her demise was confirmed around two weeks after she made headlines for getting rushed to a hospital due to "extreme pain," according to a People report.  

    Amid reports of her passing, her fans for decades and newer supporters are curious to know about her personal life. 

    The renowned hitmaker was married four times, and today's generation seems interested in taking a peek at her love life, particularly her marriages and failed relationships.

    Connie Francis (Image via Everett Collection)

    Francis was an influential pop star in the 1950s and 1960s. However, her decades-old creations began gaining massive love on the internet recently after her 1962 song Pretty Little Baby went viral on social media, starting with TikTok.

    On July 17, Francis' friend, Ron Roberts, shared the news of her unfortunate demise on Facebook. Expressing his grief, he confirmed,  

    "It is with a heavy heart and extreme sadness that I inform you of the passing of my dear friend Connie Francis last night."

    Roberts mourned his loss, further penning,

    "I know that Connie would approve that her fans are among the first to learn of this sad news."

    The Concetta Records label's president concluded the announcement, noting,

    "More details will follow later."

    Connie Francis' relationships explored

    From having a successful and impressive musical career to getting married a few times, Francis has often been in the spotlight for her life choices. She got wed four times with Dick Kanellis, Izzy Marion, Joseph Garzilli, and Bob Parkinson, according to a report by Dusty Old Thing.

    Connie Francis (Image via Everett Collection)

    Interestingly, all her married unions were quite short-lived, except for Joseph Garzilli. The estranged duo were together for around five years, marking her longest married association. While Connie Francis married different men at different phases of her life, her love story with Bobby Darin is still talked about today. 

    She made her professional singing debut in the early 1950s, working hard relentlessly to secure a hit and establish her name in the industry. While her struggle continued to experiment and work on different projects, hoping to note a striking creation in her portfolio in the initial years, she came across Bobby Darin.

    Connie Francis' romance with Bobby Darin explored

    As the outlet reported, the singer duo was often seen arguing while singing together. A professional relationship that commenced with arguments and bickering due to dissimilar opinions soon blossomed into a romance. 

    While collaborating and working together, the pair joined hands several times for multiple projects. While they were deeply in love, mesmerized by each other, Francis' father pulled the chords to their separation. They thought of eloping, against her father's wishes. However, the Stupid Cupid star's father intervened in their romance and never allowed her daughter to be with the man she genuinely fell in love with.

    As Dusty Old Thing reported, her father pointed a gun at Bobby after he came across the twosome's plan to run away. Darin and Francis had no other choice but to get separated and move ahead with their lives. 

    Later, in 1960, Bobby Darin tied the knot with Sandra Dee. Despite their much-talked-about breakup, the singing duo managed to meet a few times before Bobby died in 1973. Years after her heartbreak, Connie kept reflecting on her relationship with her former lover and expressed her regret at not marrying him.

    Connie Francis spoke about Bobby Darin in an exclusive interview

    Connie Francis (Image via Everett Collection)

    In December 2017, Connie Francis sat with the Daily Mail to reflect on her life, childhood, marriages, and beyond. During the conversation, she confessed to finding Darin allegedly spending time with two hookers, even after his marriage. However, that never stopped Connie from being affectionate to her true love.

    While delving deep into her life with the media outlet, Francis recalled a night of meeting Darin in a hotel room, which she wrote about in her book titled Among My Souvenirs: The Real Story as well.

    After her 1984-published book Who's Sorry Now?, she decided to present the harsh reality, true stories, and unknown facts about her life in her new release. Opening up about her decision, she said to the outlet,

    "It was important for me to write an honest, no holds barred account of my life, in order to let people know that although we all go through difficult times, we can survive."

    In her book, she revealed meeting the love of her life at a night when Sandra was out in Los Angeles. Ahead of their meeting, Francis recounted receiving a call from Bobby's friend stating he wanted to have a chat with her. Filled with emotions and curiosity, she rushed to the venue.

    Looking back at that night, she wrote in her book,

    "I was never more eager to reach a destination than I was to get to Bobby's room that night, to be with him, to console him, something I knew I'd always been able to do."

    Remembering the incident, she kept on penning,

    "I wrapped lightly on one of the double doors to Bobby's suite, and when the door flung open, there he stood, totally caught off guard, in the buff, while two hookers were actively writhing on the floor."

    Shocked to find Darin with hookers, she reacted, saying,

    "So glad to see your mojo is still working. Very, very nice."

     Bobby wanted to clarify the truth to Connie, but she did not stay in that room further. He responded:

    "Bad timing baby, the friggin' worst! This has got to be a set up and when I find the mastermind, he DIES"

    Finding the man she loved so dearly in that situation, she was devastated. She ran from the corridor. Despite Darin calling her several times and asking her to stop by, she did not turn back again. She headed straight to his friend and ranted,

    "Alert the media Charlie! Bobby isn't suicidal anymore. He's got two hookers in his room and they're helpin' him beat the blues!"

    Despite what the hitmaker saw that night, she could never stop loving Darin. While speaking with the Daily Mail, she revealed that she could never auction Bobby's love letters. Though she sold her precious belongings, including her shoes and gowns, she kept all his letters with her, noting,

    "That is the one thing I will never let go of."

    Disclosing his father's involvement in her breakup, she explained,

    "If it hadn't been for my over protective father who forbid me to be with Bobby, I would have married him. My father was so controlling and determined not to let men into my life that he didn't even allow me to attend my senior prom."

    Connie had a tumultuous relationship with her father. However, she honored him with this book.

    While she admitted to being unable to forgive her father for  controlling her "life," her "loves," and "for putting me in more than one mental institution after I was misdiagnosed as bi-polar," she later acknowledged,

    "But I have to admit he was the architect of my brilliant career and for that I love him."

    A look at Connie Francis' marriages

    In 1964, Francis married her first husband, Dick Kanellis. They called it quits just after three months. Later, in January 1971, she tied the knot to Izzy Marion. However, they got divorced in 1972.

    Her longest marriage was with Joseph Garzilli, with whom she also adopted a child, Joey Garzilli, according to a Mabumbe report. They got divorced in 1977. For the last time, Francis exchanged vows with Bob Parkinson in 1985. It was yet another brief union, with them drifting apart the next year.

    TOPICS: Connie Francis, relationships